Now, as Blagojevich’s corruption trial kicks off in Chicago, the RGA is running ads linking the 2 governors, even though Quinn supported Blagojevich’s impeachment last year.

“As governors, Quinn and Blagojevich have failed us,” a narrator intones. “Under Quinn and Blagojevich, Illinois is now $13 billion in the red.” […]

Add IL to a growing roster of states the RGA is already playing in. The group has run ads bashing Dem candidates in FL, CA, MA, NH, OH and CO so far, and with $25M in the bank to start the year, that list will grow.

Jason Plummer, the 27-year-old Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, has refused to release his tax returns for voters to see. Plummer’s family owns the R.P. Lumber chain headquartered in Edwardsville and other businesses and partnerships. Plummer calls the controversy over his returns a distraction from more serious issues. “I don’t think a person’s economic status, their financial status, should be a standard for whether or not they run for office,” he said.

He can think whatever he wishes, but the distraction will dog him throughout the campaign. Bill Brady, the GOP candidate for governor, initially refused to release his returns, then relented and gave reporters a limited window to peruse six years of filings. They revealed that Brady paid no federal income taxes the last two years because of business losses.

Plummer said he hasn’t changed his mind. He repeatedly talked as if it is just Quinn who wants to see his tax returns.

“I’d really like to hear Pat Quinn’s explanation of how this tax return is some sort of benchmark of ethics and transparency,” Plummer said. “I mean, this is coming from the guy that campaigned, criss-crossing the state on behalf of Rod Blagojevich. I don’t feel like getting lectured by an enabler of Rod Blagojevich on ethics. I don’t think that’s an issue that he wants to delve into very deeply, especially with everything that’s coming out recently on the McCormick Place issue.” […]

I asked if he paid any taxes last year, and he thought for a bit.

“If I start answering all the questions, it’s probably not going to stop, is it?” he said.

No, I told him. It never stops.

Bernie’s right. It’ll never stop. Plummer will have to address that question every time he talks to at least a halfway decent reporter for the rest of the campaign.

Republican nominee for governor Bill Brady routinely missed votes throughout the General Assembly’s spring session, and the Bloomington senator now says he won’t accept any state mileage, hotel or meal money for those days.

Brady campaign spokeswoman Patty Schuh said it was a “personal decision” Brady had been weighing for some time. Brady’s missed votes recently came under scrutiny after a Daily Herald story revealed that he had missed more than 200 votes in the hectic final weeks of the legislative session.

In a letter to Senate staff obtained by the Daily Herald via the Freedom of Information Act, Brady says he doesn’t want any reimbursement for “any 2010 Legislative Session Days on which I missed any vote on the Senate floor.”

That’s the right thing to do.

*** UPDATE *** From Quinn campaign spokesperson Mica Matsoff…

“Over the past few weeks, Bill Brady’s Senate voting record has come under fire. And for good reason.
According to the Daily Herald (5/20), Senator Brady wasn’t present for more than 200 votes over just a two-week span while campaigning for governor. And today, an updated Daily Herald story revealed he missed votes on 25 days of the Senate’s 43 days of session. That gives Brady a 42% full attendance record, a failing grade.

Among hundreds of others, Senator Brady missed votes on treatment for breast and cervical cancer, protections for abused and neglected children, and creating penalties for governmental ethics violations.

And what is Bill Brady’s solution to neglecting his constituents and his duties as a senator? He’s now offered not to collect his per diem. It’s not just about your expense account, Senator Brady; it’s about doing your job.

If Bill Brady can’t be trusted to show up for only 43 days of votes, how can we trust him to do the 365-day-a-year job of governor?”

* Related…

* Goodbye, jobs: That might be changing. The governor is looking for a solution. An aide to Attorney General Lisa Madigan called us Friday to say she’s on the case, too. We hope they pull out all the stops. It will be a bad day for Illinois if not-in-my-backyard syndrome sends thousands of jobs somewhere else.

If you support reductions in state spending, send Gov. Pat Quinn a red pen. He’s going to need it. Members of the Illinois House and Senate adjourned last month, knowingly sending Quinn an out-of-balance state budget that takes effect July 1. They also approved an Emergency Budget Act that will give Quinn new authority during the next six months to manage spending. If an unmandated program doesn’t deserve an appropriation, he can decide not to fund it.

Comments

Plummer is becoming an alabtross around Brady’s neck with this tax return issue. Quinns campaign people would be wise to run a few hit ad’s talking about transparency and concealed financial deaalings, then toss in some Brady votes which benefitted his land holdings.

I cant decide whos is running the worst campaign presently, Quinn or Brady….

The Ad is effective. Quinn could re-but it by tossing up some ad’s showing him supporting he impeachment etc, followed by a quick comment on Plummer hiding his tax returns and Brady not paying taxes and voting to benefit himself, and draw it to a close by saying they are the ones using governemnt for personal gain.

If I am a concerned voter regarding the Illinois economy, then by instinct, I should have no reason to believe that the current governor can, or will, resolve our fiscal problems. Here’s why -
He is already governor. The problem has gotten worse.

He was the running mate and Lt. Governor of the previous governor. The problem went from rough and difficult under their leadership to impossible today under his.

I am paying off my debt, why can’t Illinois? Worse, why is Illinois borrowing more? I cannot afford to give Illinois more of my money when I am concerned about my own fiscal future.

So you see, the ad posted on this page, hits more than one nerve within the electorate, in my opinion.

Now, you can be an enabler, and give Quinn a boatload of excuses as to why he is governor and our fiscal situation sucks - or you can vote in someone else who says they will not do what Quinn is doing or what Blagojevich has done.

Consequentially, Quinn cannot run based on reality. He will have to go after Brady on ideology, and hope that a plurality of Illinoisans will do the same. Right now, I’m not sensing that.

The RGA is pretty good. Simple facts, straightforward. It also encapsulates the only strategy that Brady-Plummer can use: link Quinn to Blagojevich. So I guess we can expect more variations on this theme for the next few months. We’ll see if it gets any traction given the trial and everything else swirling about.

I’d rate it as 7.5 out of 10. I deducted a point for placing a swath of prairie in the middle of the lake.

Glad to see Plummer is sticking to his guns on the tax issue. You go boy!

I give it a 6/10. the most effective thing brady can do right now to help himself is to come up to the north suburbs, meet people, maybe bring his wife and tell us who he is and what is plan is as our governor. I realize campaigning downstate, and fundraising in the city are more fun, but most people have no idea up here who he is, most especially the swing voters, moderate republicans and even hard republicans-he was a blip on the new trier republican endorsement radar.

Perhaps a town hall in libertyville or a meeting at a small business in arlington heights would be a good thing to do because just planning to coast on rga ads like this and saying you aren’t blago and the state has high unemployment is not really a plan.

Quinn needs to stay away from the Brady missed votes issue. He and his predecessor were absent for 6 years of legislative sessions in Spingfield. Brady can simply break down the number of meaningful votes he missed(those which passed or failed by 1 vote, I suspect there are 0) and compare to the number of sessions the Governor and his team mate missed over 6 years. It’s a loser Pat.

I am starting to get the Plummer position. He is Dick Cheney. You have a running mate and you are the part of the ticket no one really cares about. Let the media and Quinn hammer Plummer on his taxes all summer. Who cares? If you get down to Plummer’s taxes as the most important issue to decide your vote on, I don’t know that either party will sway you with a logical arguement with a 13 billion dollar deficit and unemployment likely to be 13% by November. Every question, add, comment, and article written about Plummers taxes is a waste of limited resources for the Governor and his suporters.

I disagree with him personally, but he can be useful. Keep takin the shots Jason, each blow you take, is one Brady doesn’t have to. This is Karl Rove 101. The Dems and Media Pouned Cheney for 8 years and hit had little effect on Bush.

The ad is good. Did the Democrats think they were going to get away from Blago that easy. Quinn did his best to stick close to Blago when the going was good. He saw the opportunity to stick the knife in Blago’s back. But let’s not forget they all supported Blago. There are also some very nice photo’s of Rod and Alexi smiling like best buddies.

The RGA ad’s attempt to link Quinn with the Blago trial is silly. Quinn wasn’t connected to any of that man’s corruption, and I’m fairly certain voters are smart enough to perceive that. No one demanded to impeach Gerald Ford when Nixon was president.

They were playing for much higher stakes in the Nixon/Ford scenario. The Big Blue Center from Grand Rapids deserves a world of credit for pulling the United States back from Banana Republic status. The pardon of Nixon was one of the most unselfish acts by a U.S. politician, ever.

jonbtuba,
Quinn is not a child. He knew the score and decided to stay on with the Blago administration. No one is saying Quinn is guilty of a criminal act. But he is guilty of protecting Blago and therefore himself.
Quinn knowing Blago was under investigation came before the cameras declaring Blago to be an honest man. He sold his sole to the devil.

But then Jerry Ford didn’t become Vice President until after the Watergate behavior. So it’s not really the same. And Nixon’s original Vice President, that dimwit Agnew, did end up resigning (before Nixon) for his own, unrelated crimes. Is this a great country or what! Oh, and if Quinn sold anything to the devil it was likely his soul, not his sole.

I don’t think the voters care when a politician is MIA from his current job because he is campaigning for another. If they did, Obama would not be President. And, in reality, no one in Illinois politics can be accused of putting the needs of the state ahead of their prospects for election or re-election this year–including the Governor. Brady’s votes would not have changed anything.

Boy the devil got a raw deal! Have you seen PQ’s soles? Bargain basement all the way! Oh, and was it the right or the left? Just curious which sole he sold because he probably puts more punishment on the left. Oh, that’s not what you meant? Nevermind. ;-)

A few months prior to Blago’s being hauled to the Federal Building for his photo & prints, Blago addressed the City Club at Maggiano’s. This was where Blago famously quipped (after Kathy handed him a City Club coffee mug) “Better a ‘mug’ than a mug shot.” We all laughed! Even Blago’s father-in-law, Dick Mell, (whom I was sitting next to) was laughing. Blago was upbeat while protesters were outside, led by Quinn, calling to remove Governor Blagojevich. I’m sure that the media has some clips of that, everyone seemed to be there, not just ABC.

Along the narrow stips of sidewalk, on both Clark St. & Grand Ave. outside of the City Club Public Policy luncheon, Pat Quinn and his people were circulating petitions to recall Governor Blagojevich.

I think Quinn needs to disabuse the public of ANY possible link between Quinn & Blago. Quinn should spring the money and run some ads, IMMEDIATELY (fight back) and from time to time, run ads reinforcing the alienation.

Sheesh. I even told Quinn, as I was going into the luncheon, “I get to go in, and you have to protest outside?” Quinn smiled.

To Chicago Cynic, PQ is a sock-puppet, just like Blago. It’s almost impossible to find any politician who has not kissed the ring-finger of the political thugs that own this City, County, State, Country. PQ is more of a populist-do-gooder than Blago, but PQ still genuflects to the usual suspects. :(

All Quinn has to point out is that this state wouldn’t be in such bad shape if selfish politicians like Bill Brady weren’t voting on bills to line their own pockets, sucking out a state salary, and paying nothing back in taxes.